Machine for weaving web having relatively stiff weft



Aug. 6, 1963 J. FE LIKS 3,100,003

MACHINE FOR WEAVING WEB HAVING RELATIVELY STIF'F WEFT Filed June 15-, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

Joseph Fellks BY Maxwell E .Sparrow ATTORNEY J. FELIKS Aug. 6, 1963 MACHINE FOR WEAVING WEB HAVING RELATIVELY STIFF WEFT 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1959 FIG.2

FIG.3

INVENTOR. Joseph Feliks Maxwell E.Sparrow ATTORNEY.

Aug. 6, 1963 J. FELIKS 3,100,003

MACHINE FOR WEAVING WEB HAVING RELATIVELY STIFF WEFT Filed June 15, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet I5 Joseph Fellks YMCIXWE" E.Sparrow ATTORNEY- 1963 J. FELIKS 3,100,003

MACHINE FOR WEAVING WEB HAVING RELATIVELY STIFF WEFT Filed June 15, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 )M H II z Iv N MI L 2 J J I. l W m m '2 M (9 LL.

T VENTOR:

Joseph Feliks Y Maxwell E.Sporrow ATTORNEY.

Aug. 6, 1963 J. FELIKS 3,100,003

MACHINE FOR WEAVING WEB HAVING RELATIVELY STIFF WEFT Filed June 15, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR: Joseph Feliks MoxweH E.Sporrow- ATTORNEY.

Aug. 6, 1963 J. FELIKS 3,100,003

MACHINE FOR WEAVING WEB HAVING RELATIVELY STIF'F WEFT Filed June 15, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG.|5

INVENTOR: Joseph Feliks.

Muxwell E.Spurrow.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,100,003 MACHINE FOR WEAVHNG WEB HAVMG RELA- TIVELY STTFF WEFT Joseph Feliks, New York, N.Y., assignor to Woven Arts Corp, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Tune 15, 1959, Ser. No. 820,401 16 Claims. (Cl. 139-428) This invention relates generally to weaving machines for producing web having relatively stiff fillers or filler members and Warp threads or like elements to form woven slatted material in a continuous strip which strip or web may be subsequently cut into sections of desired length and fabricated into pulley blinds, window shades, curtains, lamp shades, folding doors, and other articles. The wefts or filler members may be made of wood, bamboo, metal, plastic, fiber glass, etc. and the warp may be in the form of yarn, tape, thread, strands, or the like, made of metal, plastic, fiber glass, textile material.

The arrangement of the reed, feeding mechanism and lay synchronized to swing together is such that any type of narrow or wide slats or ribbons or strips including round, halfround, rectangular flat strips of any suitable material may be fed as Weft or filler, and beat up or pushed into the warp by the lay. The arrangement according to the invention is such that it can be adapted to a conventional loom with moderate changes in the latter to accommodate the arrangement.

A weaving machine according to the invention employs a novel type reed which comprises a series of pa-rallely arranged slotted plates tied together with rods or the like in spaced-apart relation by means of spacers, washers, or the like, the spaces between the plates being utilized to accommodate the fed warp lengths. It is a peculiarity of this reed that by means of the washers the plates may be spaced closer or wider apart by removing or adding spacers so that any type of warp may be used, such as bands, threads, strands, tape, yarns, of any thickness. Thus by varying the spaces between the reed plates, various types of warp may be accommodated.

In the loom, according to the invention, the feed rollers are preferably loosely mounted and the top one can freely move vertically to allow feeding of varying thicknesses of strips or slats. This loom is preferably provided with a warp beam.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, no doors or gates are required at the front to close the openings in the reed While the lay approaches the completed fabric section to beat up or push the slats in the warp of the fabric.

The slats or strips which comprise the weft or filling may be manually fed from a side of the machine through a guide, rollers, funnel then through the registered openings or slots in the reed plates; or the Weft may be fed automatically as hereinafter disclosed. As heretofore stated, the reed comprises a bank Or series of parallely arranged vertically disposed spaced slotted plates, the warp being threaded through these spaces. The reed is attached to the lay, and when a slat has been positioned or fed into the reed, the lay pushes or moves forward, the reed permitting the latter to beat in the slats in sequence with the respective forward movements of the lay.

With a machine according to the invention, it is possible to weave overall patterns where the slats are the filling or weft; or partially overall patterns, that is, spaced in any desired arrangement. The warp can be spaced uniformly or non-uniformly along the width of the fabric; or different widths of warp can be used. All this may be facilitated because the spacing of the reed plates may be varied. The warp may be spaced closer together or "ice wider apart, so can the weft without requiring any change in the loom.

This invention incorporates a mechanically operated device replacing original hand labor and may be hand fed, that is, each slat to be woven into the threads has to be inserted by hand into the infeed device of the inserting mechanism. It is obvious that the speed of operation of this device is limited and that the rate of production is low, especially if slats of variable shape or color alternatingly are used for forming special patterns.

This invention further includes an improvement over the aforementioned device by which the hand feeding is replaced by an automatic operation.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practicing the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, features, construction, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

It is an object of the present invention to provide in a weaving machine or loom, a novel reed in which slatted or other relatively stiff weft material is fed and then beat-up into the warp to form the woven slatted material in a continuous strip, which strip subsequently may be cut into sections of desired length; another object residing in the provision of novel feeding means for controllably feeding such slatted or like material, and stop means at the end of the reed to prevent further movement of the fed weft material.

It is a further object of the invention to provide automatic feeding means for a Weaving machine of the above character.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for automatically feeding slatted material of various shapes, cross-section and colors in a predetermined pattern into a weaving machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatic means for feeding slats or strips consisting of deformable material from a roll, and for profiling and cutting said material into said slats prior to or at the time of feeding same into the reed.

A further object is to provide for an automatic machine incorporating economic and practical operation, and having an increased rate of production.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and illustrate merely by way of example an embodiment of the device of the invention.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic isometric view of an automatic weaving machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a detail view of the automatic weft element feeding device, partly broken away;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the automatic weft element feeding device shown in FIG. 2.;

FIG. 4 is a plan View of the automatic weft element feeding device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another example of an automatic feeding device, particularly suited for wide, flat weft element;

PEG. 6- is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a detail view, partly broken away, of the slat propelling head of the automatic feeding device of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a side view of an automatic slat profiling, cutting and feeding device operating from a roll of material;

FIG. 9 is a detail view of the profiling rollers of the device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a detail view, partly broken away, of the automatic slat stopping means of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a detail section, partly broken away, of the slat cutting mechanism of the feeding device of FIG. 8, taken along the line 11- 11;

FIG. 12 is a side elevation of one of the reed plates;

FIG. 13 is 'a front elevation of part of the reed; and

FIG. 14 is a front elevation of the reed section of the weaving machine;

FIG. -15 is a schematic detail 'view of another slat stopping device used for pre-cut slats;

FIG. 16 is a schematic front view, seen in the direction of the lines 16-416, of the stopping device shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic enlarged detail view of an automatic stopping device somewhat similar to that shown in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 18 is a side view of driving gear for driving the take-up roller.

Referring in more detail to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment by which the invention may be realized, there is disclosed in FIG. 1 a weaving machine having a frame 21 in which a lay or heater 22 is pivotally mounted so that it may swing back and forth according to the weaving cycle. Harnesses 23 and 24 having a plurality of heddles 25 for shedding the warp threads 29, are suspended from straps 26, 26 and 27, 27', which straps are connected to the operating means in a conventional dobby 28 mounted on the side of the frame 21. The woven product 30 is guided over a breast beam 31 and wound up to a roll on the take-up roller 32. The warp beam for the warp threads '29 is arranged in the rear of the machine in the conventional manner and is not visible in the drawing.

The take-up roller 32 is driven intermittently by a mechanism and gearing shown in FIG. 18. On the frame 21 are brackets 171 in which said take-up roller 32 is rotatably located. A gear 172 (mounted on bracket 171 connected to frame 21) is connected with the take-up roller 32 which is in mesh with another gear 173 (mounted on bracket 171' also connected to frame 21), said gear 173 being firmly joined with gear 174 (mounted on bracket 171) which is in mesh with idler gear 175 (mounted on bracket 171) which in turn meshes with gear 176 (mounted on frame bracket 1171") having a ratchet 177 with which a pawl 178 (mounted on frame 21) engages. A second pawl 179 engages the teeth of said ratchet 177, said pawl 179 pivotally mounted on an angular lever 180 which is pivotally mounted on a stud 181 on the frame 21 of the machine. One arm of said angular lever 180 is in contact with a roller 182 mounted on the side of the =lay 22, the other arm 180' of said angular lever 180 nears a shiftable weight @183 and is additionally loaded by a spring 184 the free end of which is fastened to the frame 21.

With each forward stroke, the arm of the lay thus permits the weight 183 and the spring 184 to pull the takeup roller 32 as much as the woven article permits whereas at the backstroke the pawl 179, actuated by roller 182 (mounted on lay 22) and angular lever 18% pivoted on frame 21, can engage further teeth of the ratchet which is held against rotating backwards by the other pawl 178.

On the lay or heater 22, a novel reed 19 is provided comprising a plurality of slotted thread guide plates 33 (FIG. 12) mounted adjacent to one another, for properly spacing and guiding the warp threads 29. Reed 19 provides guiding and beating means for the weft elements or slats to be woven into the threads 29', when the lay or beater swings forwardly.

The plurality of thread guide plates 33 of reed 19, are laterally disposed with respect to one another and are se cured between portions 22' and 22" of lay or beater 22. Portion 22' is formed with a transverse opening and each of thread guides or guide plates "33 is formed with corresponding openings 135 which are in transverse alignment with one another and a rod passes through these aligned openings and joins the guide plates 33 to portion 22. Similarly, portion 22" is formed with a transverse opening and each of thread guides or guide plates 33 is formed with corresponding openings a which are in transverse alignment with one another. Spacers 136 control the spacing of guide plates. The spacers are formed with aligned openings which are also in alignment with the openings in portion 22" and guide plates 33. A rod 125a passes through all of these openings and ties together the guide plates in spaced relation.

The rods 125, 125a are formed with threaded terminal portions (not shown) and a nut 126 is disposed upon each of the threaded portions so as to secure the entire assembly into place.

Each thread glide plate 33 is also formed with a slot 127 which is open at the forward end and closed at its rearward end 1'37. Slot 127 is somewhat larger at its rearward end 128 and is there adapted to accommodate a portion of weft element or slat S. The respective slots 127 in each of thread guide plates 33 are in communication with one another and in lateral alignment so as to form a transverse passage for the laterally fed element or slat S to be incorporated in the warp.

Each of the guide plates 33 also is provided with additional aligned openings to respectively receive rods 132, 133. These rods are threaded at their ends to receive the respective nuts 134 so that the entire reed assembly may now be held rigid.

The warp threads or flexible strips 29 respectively pass through the openings 0 between adjacent plates 33 produced by the spacers 136. It is quite evident that these spaces or openings 0 may be varied in width by selecting suitable spacers to accommodate warp of varying widths, such as fabric, flexible metal, plastic or fiber glass ribbon.

Where the word slat (reference letter S) is used in the specification and or claims, it is understood to mean any suitable or desired relatively stilf or firm filler or Weft element or member.

Mounted on lay or heater 22 and reciprocatingly moving with it, is an automatic feeding device with the weft element magazines 34, 35, supported by an arm 36 movable with lay 22, which device is illustrated on a larger scale in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4.

On the lower end of this arm 36 which is pivotally mounted on a short shaft 37 located in a bracket 38 attached to the base plate 39 of the machine, is a lever arm 40 on which a bar 41 is pivotally mounted on a hinge pin 42. The upper part of this bar 41 has an arcuate member 43 on which the roller 44 of another arm 45 can travel back and forth. This other arm 45 is hingedly joined with a slide 46, which can move up and down on the bar 41 and which is under the influence of a tension spring 47 which in turn is fastened to the said arm 41. The spring 47 keeps the roller 44 in rolling contact all the time with the arcuate member 43.

The arm 45 is swung back and forth by movement of the lay or batten 22, to which it is connected by a wire rope 48 leading over a roller 49 attached to lay 22 and the other end of said rope is connected to the frame 21, and by a return spring 50 on one end of which is fastened to the side arm 36 of the lay 22 and its other end to arm 45. On the said arm 45 is arranged a tube 51 which can slide up and down in brackets 52 and which always is urged downwardly by the spring 53 one end of which is connected to tube 51 and its other end to frame 45. The tube 51 is connected by a flexible hose S4 to a valve 55 of a vacuum line 56, said valve 55 having an operating handle 57 which is linked by a rod 58 to the arm 45. The tube 51 is shaped in such way that its front orifice may dip into either one of the two weft element magazines 34 and 35 in contact with the slats in the magazine, when said arm 45 is in one of its end positions. The tube 51 will dip deeper into the magazine by action of spring 53 as the magazine is depleted. The two slat magazines are spaced apart so that the tube 51, lifted by the travel of the roller 44 On the arcuate member 43 over the borders of said weft element magazines 34 or 35, can deliver the picked-up weft element S into the slat guide 59, since the lay or batten 22 is moving on its backward stroke at the same time. In front of said slat guide are the frictionally engaging feed rollers 60 and 61, the latter being driven by an electric motor 62 which is mounted on the frame of the lay or batten 22, by means of pulleys 63, 64 and by a belt 65. The upper roller 60 is running in bearings 66 which can glide up and down and thus automatically can accommodate for various thicknesses of slats. Between said feed rollers 60 and 61 and the thread guides 33 forming the reed 19 is arranged an infeed funnel 67.

The relative movement of the bar 41 is caused by a cam 68 and a cam follower roller 69' which is attached to said bar 41. Continuous contact between said cam 60 and said cam follower roller 69 is maintained by a spring 70 which is fastened to the arm 36 and to the bar 41, respectively. The cam 68 which is rotatably located in bearing brackets 71 fixed to the arm 36, is driven by a chain 72 and sprockets 73 and 74. A tension roller '75 located on a tension roller arm 76 which is held under tension by a spring 77 keeps said chain 72 taut.

If wide, flat slats are woven into the warp 29 for certain types of blinds, another type of magazine and a somewhat simplified feeding device, following the same principle, is used, as described in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. The slat magazine 80, consisting merely of rear guides 81, middle guides 82 and front guides 83, and a bottom 84 having a plurality of rollers 85 for diminishing the friction of the slats, again is mounted on the lay, heater or batten 22, swinging with it reciprocatingly back and forth. The rear guide 81 and the front guide 83 has a gate 86 (shown only on the rear guide 81 in FIG. 7), the height of which corresponds to the thickness of the slats. Near the front guide 83 are the frictionally engaging feed rollers 60' and 61 and the infeed funnel 67', acting in the same way as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Near the rear guide 81 is a picker 84 to which a loop 85' of a suitable material, mostly leather, is attached. A picker stick 86, hingedly suspended in a bracket 87 attached to the frame of the lay or batten 22, reaches with its upper end into said loop 85'. A spring 88, fixed on the lower end of said picker stick S6 and on a bracket 89 of said frame of the lay or batten 22, respectively, is holding said picker stick 86 in its rearward position. On the upper part of said picker stick 86 is attached a wire rope 90 which is tied to a fixed part 21' of the Weaving machine (not visible in the drawing). Since said wire rope 90 is guided over a pulley 91 attached to the frame of said lay or batten 22, the movement of the lay 22 pulls the picker stick 86 forward, which in turn hits the picker and feeds one slat through the gates 86 into the feed rollers 60' and 61' which are driven in a similar way as described before.

When the weft elements or slat S is fed through the reed, it must be stopped before the lay or batten 22 may beat it up into the Warp threads. In FIGS. 15 and 16 a stopping device is shown, fastened to the upper beam 151 and to the lower beam 152, respectively, of the lay or batten 22. On the upper beam is a small bracket 153 having a hinge 154 on which is pivotally mounted a lever 155 which is suspended on its free end 156 on -a wire rope 157 fastened to the frame 21 of the machine. Also attached to said free end 156 is a suspension spring 158 by which said lever 155 is constantly pulled down. On the underside of said lever 155 is at a distance from the 6 hinge 154 a small abutment 159, and the space between said hinge 154 and said abutment 159 on said lever 155 is lined with leather 160. Approximately at the area where the leather lining 160 is attached to the lever 155 is a curved guide 161 on said lever 155.

On the lower beam 152 of the lay or batten 22 is a corresponding curved bracket 162 having a curved guide 163 similar to the guide 161 on the lever 155. The action is as follows: When the slat S is fed into the gap between the brackets 161 and the hinged lever 163, it lifts said lever 155 slightly against the force of the spring 158 and is stopped at the abutment 159, at the same time slowed down and held between the leather lining 160 and the lower bracket 162. When the lay or batten 22 starts its forward stroke, it obviously lifts by means of the wire rope 157 said lever 155, thus releasing the weft element or slat S for being fed into the warp threads.

Instead of pre-cut weft elements or slats, deformable material taken from a roll may be used. For this purpose, another version of the feeding device is necessary which is illustrated in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11. On the frame of the lay or batten 22 is arranged a reel stand in which a roll of deformable material 101 may be rotatably located. Also mounted on said frame of the lay or batten 22 are two frictionally engaging feed rollers 102 and 103, which are profiled to match, in order to shape the material to be woven, correspondingly. The rollers 102 and 103 are driven by an electric motor 104 over a chain 105, sprocket 106 and gears 107, 108. The motor 104 is likewise mounted on the frame of said lay or batten 22. The upper feed roller 102 can be lifted out of engagement with the lower feed roller 103 in order to interrupt the feeding. To this extent said upper feed roller 102 is running in bearings 109 which can be lifted by means of a solenoid 110 and a double-arm lever 111 against the force of springs 112 which normally force said upper roller 102 down onto said lower feed roller 103. The solenoid 110 is energized when a pair of contacts 113 and 114 are closing the circuit under the impact of the slat material 115. When the lay or batten 22 is moving forward in timed relation at this moment, a cutting device comprising a knife 116 mounted on a pivoting lever 117 and actuated by a protruding edge 118 of the lay or batten 22, severs the slat to be woven from the strip fed from the roll 101. In order to straighten the slat material after forming by the rollers 102 and 103, a plurality of rollers 119 is arranged between said rollers 102 and 103 and the infeed funnel 120.

The stopping device for these slats, FIG. 17, is very similar to the one described before in FIG. 10, with the exception that the bracket 153 is connected with one pole of an electric current source and that the lever 155 has the electric contact 113. A second lever 171, insulated from lever 155, having the corresponding electric contact 114 is arranged on top of the hinged lever 155 and is connected with one pole of solenoid 110 in FIG. 10. When the metal strip is fed into the gap between the bracket 162 and the lever 155, it brings together the contacts 113-114, whereby the solenoid 110 is energized, lifting the feed roller 102 and thus stopping the strip 115 of which a slat then is cut as described before, which in turn is released in the same way as described in connection with FIGS. 15 and 16.

It is understood that a suitable switch arrangement operable by the return movement of lay 22 is provided in order to cut off the current supply when the lay is on its return so that the feeding of the current to the solenoid is interrupted permitting spring 112 to return roller 102 to lower slat feeding position.

Operation -An adequate number of warp elements or threads 29 (FIG. 1) is threaded through the heddles 25 of the harnesses 23 and 24, and through the spaces between the guide plates 33 forming the reed 19, and is secured on the roller 32 (FIG. 1). The magazines 34, 35 are filled with relatively stiff fillers or weft elements S and the right cam 68 for the desired pattern of the product is put in place. The harnesses 23 and 24 form by their upward and downward movement a shed of and between the warp elements, in a known manner, and when the lay or batten 22 now is moving forward to beat up a filler or weft element into the product, the tube 51 (FIGS. 1-4) connected with the arm 41 dips into one of the magazines and picks up a new filler or weft element by suction, through the operation of the valve 55 in the vacuum line 56. When the lay or batten 22 reverses its movement, the harnesses 23 and 24- change their positions and form an opposite shed of and between warp elements; the bar 41 moving together with the lay or batten 22 and the arm 45 being swung forward by the spring 50 because the wire rope 48 connected to the lay or batten 22 now permits this action. Thereby the pickedup filler or wet-t element is lifted out of the magazine 34 or 35 and is fed toward the end of the back stroke of the lay or batten 22 between the magazines into the driven feed rollers 60 and 61 which immediately propel the filler or weft element through the openings in the guide plates 33 of the reed and through the open shed. Hereafter the lay or batten 22 returns to its forward stroke to beat up the filler or weft element into the product, thus closing the cycle. It is obvious that weft elements from the two magazines can be picked up and fed through in any sequence, by merely using a corresponding cam 68 and sprocket ratio of the drive sprockets 73 and 74, for obtaining any desired pattern in the woven product.

In a similar way, as described before (FIGS. 5, 6, 7), the Wide, fiat weft elements or slats S are fed by picker 84 and picker stick '86 into the rollers and into the machine. It also becomes obvious from the description how the slat material is drawn from the roll 101, is propelled and profiled (by rollers 102, 103 as seen at 115 (FIGS. 8 and 9) and straightened by rollers 1'19) and eventually cut (by knife 1:16) at the timed instance when the lay or batten 22 is moving forward for beating up the weft element or slat into the product.

With respect to the weft element or slat feeding and stop mechanism shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, inclusive, the deformable material 101 is fed between the forming and feeding rollers 102, 103-, through straightening rollers 1'19, funnel 120, reed 29, and being stopped by electrically operated stops means 113, 162. When the forward end of the slat material 115 reaches the member 162, the latter pushes up slat 115 against stop 159 which thus raises the member 155 against the action of spring 158. Electric contact is thus made between 171 and 155 at 113 and solenoid 110 becomes operable to raise roller 102 which is thus released from contact with the slat material 115 and feeding of the latter stops. As the lay -22 goes forward, the knife 116 cuts the slat material to form a length of slat rope 157 raises 155 and 171 to release the slat and the latter is beat up into the warp by reed 29. Upon return movement of lay 22, an electric switch (not shown) operates to cut oil the current from solenoid 110 and thereby permits roller 102 to lower by spring 112 into contact with the slat forming material 101 and feeding of the latter again commences.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 650,635, filed April 4, 1957, now abandoned.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to certain particular preferred examples which give satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the invention, that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

I claim:

1. In a loom for weaving material having relatively stiff elongate weft elements, said loom having a frame structure, warp supplying means, fabric take-up means rotatably mounted in said frame structure, a plurality of vertically reciprocating harnesses arranged between said warp supplying means and said fabric take-up means and a reciprocating lay mounted in said frame structure; a reed mounted on said lay reciprocating therewith, said reed comprising a plurality of laterally arranged flat plate members having slots which are open at their forward ends, and means maintaining said members in aligned spaced relation whereby Warp from said warp supplying means and carried by said harnesses may be guided between said members, said slots being in alignment whereby a transverse passage is provided through said members for receiving and guiding said weft elements when fed therein, and means for feeding said weft elements into said passage.

2. In a loom according to claim 1 wherein guide means for said elements are associated with said feeding means.

3. In a loom according to claim 1 wherein said slots which are open at their forward ends are enlarged at their rearward portions respectively to accommodate recept-ion of said elements.

4. In a loom according to claim 2 wherein each of said slots is enlarged at its rearward portion to accommodate reception of said elements.

5. "In a loom according to claim 1, wherein said members are held in spaced relation by spacers the number of which spacers may be varied to increase and decrease se lectively the spacings between said members to accommodate different widths of Warp.

6. In a loom according to claim 1, said means for feeding said elements comprising at least one weft storing means, automatic pick-up means for lifting said elements out of said storing means and delivering said elements into said feeding means.

7. In a loom according to claim 1 wherein said means for feeding said weft elements include weft element propelling means operating in timed relationship with the movement of said reciprocating lay and an infeed guide means for said weft elements.

8. In a loom having a frame, warp supplying means, fabric take-up means, a plurality of vertically reciprocating harnesses arranged between said warp supplying means and said fabric take-up means, a reciprocating lay and a reed mounted on said lay; automatic feeding means for feeding relatively stiff weft elements, attached to said lay, comprising storing means for said elements, propelling rollers for intermittently feeding of said weft elements, a bar pivotally mounted on the frame of said reciprocating lay, an arm linked to said bar for a reciprocating movement perpendicularly to the movement of said reciprocating lay, said arm extending substantially in a longitudinal direction with respect to said bar, a pick-up tubing vertically slidably attached to said arm, said pick-up tubing having a connection with a vacuum line, and driven cam means rotatably located on the frame of said reciprocating lay engaging a corresponding cam follower roller attached to said pivotally mounted bar for imposing a relative movement to said pivotally mounted bar with respect to said reciprocating lay, said pivotally mounted bar operated in timed relation with the movement of said reciprocating lay.

9. In a loom according to claim 8, said bar comprising an arcuate member and a roller attached to said arm, said roller engaging said arcuate member for obtaining a combined vertical and longitudinal motion of said arm and the pick-up tubing thereon during the reciprocating movement of said arm, operated by the movement of said reciprocating lay.

10. In a loom according to claim 1, storing means for said weft elements, propelling means for intermittently feeding said weft elements comprising a pair of driven feeding rollers, a picker for feeding said weft elements 9 into engagement with said driven feeding rollers and a picker stick engaging said picker, said picker stick operated by said reciprocating lay in timed relation with the movement thereof.

11. In a loom according to claim 1, storing means comprising a roll of deformable Weft material from which said elements are to be made, driven feeding rollers as propelling means for intermittent feeding said material, first power means for pressing said rollers together, second power means for intermittently releasing said pressure between said rollers, contact means for triggering said pressure release means and cutting means in connection with said reciprocating lay for severing the material fed from said roll in timed relationship with the movement of said lay.

12. In a loom according to claim 11, said driven feeding rollers having cooperating profiles for rolling a stilfening profile into said weft material during the feeding operation.

13. In a loom according to claim 1, stopping means for said elements comprising a lower convexly shaped bracket attached to said reciprocating lay at the end of said reed and an upper bracket having a hinged lever depending from top of said lower bracket, said hinged lever having a spring for holding it down on said lower bracket, a release wire attached to the free end of said lever, and an abutment protruding downwardly from the underside of said lever for stopping said elements in their forward movement.

14. In a loom according to claim 1, said fabric take-up means comprising a take-up roller rotatably located on said reciprocating lay, a ratchet Wheel geared to said take-up roller, pawls engaging said ratchet wheel, an angular lever, one arm of said lever being connected to one of said pawls, loading means carried on the other arm of said lever, and said lever having an extension on said one arm engaging said reciprocating lay.

15. In a loom according to claim 1, further comprising stopping means for said elements, said stopping means comprising a lower substantially arcuate-shaped member attached to said lay at one end of said reed and an upper member having a hinged element depending from said lower member, said hinged element having resilient means for maintaining said hinged element in contact with said lower member, release means attached to said hinged element, and means protruding from said hinged element for stopping said elements in their forward movement.

16. In a loom according to claim 1, wherein said fabric take-up means comprising a take-up roller rotatably located on said frame, indexing means geared to said take-up roller, means for operating said indexing means, an angular lever connected to said operating means, loading means connected to said lever, said lever having an extension engaging said lay.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS 881,225 Carpenter Mar. 10, 1908 907,946 Arrouquier Dec. 29, 1908 978,645 Rathburn Dec. 13, 1910 1,594,600 @Carlson Aug. 3, 1926 2,480,395 Clark Aug. 30, 1949 2,771,909 Ulrich Nov. 27, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 629,147 Germany Apr. 23, 1936 331,171 Great Britain June 26, 1930 

1. IN A LOOM FOR WEAVING MATERIAL HAVING RELATIVELY STIFF ELONGATE WEFT ELEMENTS, SAID LOOM HAVING A FRAME STRUCTURE, WRAP SUPPLYING MEANS, FABRIC TAKE-UP MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME STRUCTURE, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY RECIPROCATING HARNESSES ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID WRAP SUPPLYING MEANS AND SAID FABRIC TAKE-UP MEANS AND A RECIPROCATING LAY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME STRUCTURE; A REED MOUNTED ON SAID LAY RECIPROCATING THEREWITH, SAID REED COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY ARRANGED FLAT PLATE MEMBERS HAVING SLOTS WHICH ARE OPEN AT THEIR FORWARD ENDS, AND MEANS MAINTAINING SAID MEMBERS IN ALIGNED SPACED RELATION WHEREBY WARP FROM SAID WARP SUPPLYING MEANS AND CARRIED BY SAID HARNESSES MAY BE GUIDED BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS, SAID SLOTS BEING IN ALIGNMENT WHEREBY A TRANSVERSE PASSAGE IS PROVIDED THROUGH SAID MEMBERS FOR RECEIVING AND GUIDING SAID WEFT ELEMENTS WHEN FED THEREIN, AND MEANS FOR FEEDING SAID WEFT ELEMENT INTO SAID PASSAGE. 